Swapped!
by Destiny's Call
Summary: Crossover with Nobodies Forgotten. The Organization is prepping for another day of being pushed around by Destiny, the authoress, when they discover five members missing and five new members claiming to be part of them. To put it lightly, chaos insues.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter One: What is Going On Here?**_

Krixae woke up on a cold surface, face-down. Her head was throbbing and her stomach was impossibly queasy. The blonde opened her eyes to see white, and raised herself up on her arms to get a better look around… and felt her stomach churn. She dashed over to a nearby trashcan and vomited right on the spot. Her hood fell off from over her face and she vomited heavily, her body racking with the force of her spasms.

Luckily, Xirama had woken up just moments before. The black-haired, brown-eyed girl scrambled over to her friend and pulled Krixae's hair from out of her face, to keep her from vomiting any more on it. After the blonde was done, Xirama stood up, helping Krixae up as well.

"It's… the Grey Area?" Xirama gasped.

Krixae wiped her mouth and nose with her sleeve, and then looked behind her. "Korrax! Leixym! Exenri!" She half-way dashed over to the strawberry-haired boy and started shaking him gently.

The boy's violet eyes snapped open, and he jerked up into a sitting position. "What the… where am I?"

"The Grey Area…?" Leixym was now awake.

_"It doesn't really look like the Grey Area."_ Exenri said. The four pairs of eyes turned to her. _"Well, there's that huge burned area over there."_ They followed her finger to see what she was talking about. _"I don't remember that."_

"You're right, Ex." Leixym said. "Well, I-" They heard footsteps and turned to the noise to see a teenage girl come out, fairly short with long dark brown hair, dark eyes and was dressed in the same coat they were. Her eyes widened.

"Who are you?" She yelled.

Axel, at that moment, was panicking. "Xenri?" He called out. Xenri had come over to his room to sleep in his bed with him, he was sure of it. But when he woke up, she was gone. "Kingdom Hearts, where is she?" He had been passing by the Grey Area when he noticed six figures in black. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Dynilexs, so he walked in.

"Dynilexs, have you seen Xenri?" He asked desperately. "I haven't seen her anywhere, and… who the hell are you five?" As he spoke, he noticed that the five other cloak figures, he didn't recognize. One of them, a young girl shorter than Dynilexs with blonde hair and brown eyes, squeaked as he looked at her and dashed behind another girl, one with dark hair and brown eyes.

"Axel?" One of them, a male with strawberry-colored hair, asked.

"How do you know my name?" Axel gasped.

"You don't know us?" Another person, a blonde with red eyes, asked.

The redhead was about to reply, but at that moment, Destiny showed up, materializing out of nowhere like she usually did.

"All right, people! Let's get this show on the road! Axel, you and Xenri are supposed to wake up in a romantic embrace, remember?"

"Yes," Axel said, "but-"

"Get back to your room! We've got a story to work on. And Dynilexs, you're supposed to be in the kitchen."

"But Destiny," Dynilexs started, only to be cut off by the authoress.

"But what?" She asked, annoyed.

"Who are they?" The young authoress followed Dynilexs's finger to see the five people in Organization coats. Destiny's eyes widened.

"Oh, crap… but how-"

"You _know_ them?" Axel gasped at the same time Korrax gasped, "you _know_ us?"

Destiny stepped closer to the group. "Does the name Hawk mean anything to you?"

_"That's the author guy, right?" _Dynilexs and Axel flinched when Exenri 'talked'. _"He pelts us with shoes when we break the fourth wall."_

"Oh, no…" Destiny moaned. "This is bad…"

"Destiny?" Axel asked.

"So, who is she?" Leixym asked.

"The authoress." Dynilexs replied.

"Author_ess_?" Krixae asked, confused. "But the author's a guy!"

"What universe are you from?" Axel asked sarcastically.

"Not from this one." Destiny moaned, now sitting on the ground with her head between her knees. "And technically, it's _dimension_."

"What are you talking about?" Axel demanded.

"Well, you know I'm not the only author, right?" Nods. "Well, whenever an author makes a new series, a new canon is formed, and with that, another dimension. And, well… these guys are from another dimension."

"You wrote these guys?"

"Not me, one of my friends, Hawk. These guys are forgotten members of the Organization too. But why are they here?"

At that moment, Xilef was carried in by zombies. Even though his girlfriend had set him on an exercise routine, he still preferred his zombies. "Guys! Luxkls is missing!"

Xemichal stepped out of the darkness from one of the shadows, his eyes wide with alarm and fear. "Clairex isn't here!"

Lexaeus was the next to appear. "Torexaltceh is missing as well."

Kylixant was the last to appear, out of breath. "Where's Khanx?"

Destiny buried her face in her hands. "Oh, no! Oh, no! This can't be happening!"

"What can't?" Kylixant asked.

Destiny stood up. "I need to get in contact with Hawk. Take these guys in for now. You're on your own. I'm sorry." And she dematerialized.

They all stared at where the authoress had been moments before. "Uh… come see the Superior?"

* * *

><p><em>(Destiny's POV)<em>

I was panicking. I had heard about this happening before, but how could it happen to _me?_ I quickly traveled through the Corridors of Canons (my personal mode of transportation) and located the _Nobodies Forgotten_ Canon Room. I threw open the door and materialized in the Round Room. But it was a different Round Room than the one I usually was in. And Hawk was there. The author turned to me.

"Destiny? What are you doing here? You never fully materialize into these stories." Sometimes, I'll watch my author-friends' stories unfold, and to do that, I only materialize half-way so no one can see me.

"I know!" I exclaimed. I then noticed that all the chairs were full except for five of them. And they were staring at me. And there were five cloaked figures in the center, all with their hoods up. I looked over at Hawk. "Come into the Corridors. Now." I said, dragging him by the ear into the Corridors.

"This better be important." Hawk said, obviously a bit jittery. "Look, my Organization's having a meeting that I wasn't planning, and I need to know what it's about."

"I know what it's about! I think." I hissed. Hawk just stared at me. I think. He wears a blindfold, so it's hard to tell sometimes.

"What is it then?"

"Look, I went into the Grey Area because some of my characters were out of place, and standing there were five of yours!"

"What do you mean?" Hawk asked.

"Five. Of. The. OCs. In. Your. Story. Suddenly. Appeared. In. Mine." I said, forcing each word out.

"You're serious?"

"Completely. Hawk. Five figures were standing in the middle of the Round Room. I'm willing to bet those are mine."

"But… how?"

"I've heard of it happening before. Long ago, authors would swap characters to get a sense of that canon and those characters. That was voluntary. But _I_ didn't choose for my characters to get swapped. Xenri's in your story, and she's five months pregnant! Axel's already freaking out! When he hears that it's part of a 'weird author thingy' he'll go through the roof!"

"Keep him in control. You're an authoress. It's your job."

I turned away from Hawk, looking instead at the ground. "I know, but… I'm sorry. I'm panicking. I just didn't want this to happen."

"We'll figure something out." He reassured me.

"I suppose…" I said. "I'll make the best of it."

"Good. I need to get back to my characters. You take care of my five, okay?"

"You take care of mine." I said, and we went back to our own canons. And that's how the adventure of our characters being swapped started.

* * *

><p><em>Destiny: Yep. Hawk and I swapped five characters, and now, there's mayhem and chaos. If you want to see what the five from <em>Nobodies Forgotten_ in their original canon, HawkRider wrote that. In his story of this, five of my characters are there. Review to see what happens next, please!_


	2. Let the Madness Begin

_**Chapter 2: Let the Madness Begin**_

So I dashed down the Corridor and rematerialized in the Round Room, where all the Nobodies were gathered. And it was chaos.

"Axel! Why? Who is the other girl?" Xirama screeched as she clung onto Axel's leg. The redhead was dragging her across the floor, screaming for someone to get the "leech" off of his leg.

Korrax had teamed up with Marluxia against Xemichal and Timex; the latter of the two groups likely had called the former group feminine. The two teams were currently battling it out. And from what I could see, Marluxia and Korrax were wiping the floor with Xemichal and Timex.

Krixae was being backed against the wall by Draxloh, the latter of whom lashing out with his cane periodically. Krixae grabbed one of the Aura ties, managed to loop it around the old man's waist, and jerked him up. I face-palmed.

Leixym was nearby, currently being ambushed by Melixssa and Elgarx and Schuexzeint, backed up by Xion and Roxas. Oh Lord, what happened here? Exenri was pretty much the only one not getting into trouble; she and Kylixant were talking about something that likely had to do with Voice and/or Communication without voice.

I stood in Xemnas's chair and looked down at them. "SHUT THE HELL UP AND SIT YOUR ASSES DOWN RIGHT NOW!" I screamed. Three seconds later, all the thrones except for five were filled. Satisfied, I materialized myself on the ground besides Hawk's OCs.

"Hello, Korrax, Xirama, Krixae, Leixym, Exenri."

"So, Destiny," Axel yelled down. "Where's my fiancé?"

"Well, remember how I explained the different canons?" A chorus of "yes" and "no" echoed, so I quickly re-explained the concept. "Basically, five of my characters swapped with five of one of my friend's—"

"Boyfriend?" I sent a glare at Timex.

"What?" I asked.

"I dunno, I feel gossipy. So, is he?" I snapped my fingers, and his liberty spikes were cut three inches by Ularxa's well aimed shuriken. He looked over at his girlfriend dejectedly before a metaphorical rain cloud appeared over his head. I took little notice.

"Continuing! So, until further notice, these five will be taking the spots of the five that are currently missing! That includes missions, errands, and other things!" I then turned to address the five privately. "And you guys need to know: these guys don't know you. They've had other relationships, and the ones you had back in your dimension won't count here."

"I understand." Leixym said.

_"I've already found that out."_ Exenri said. _"As did Ximara."_

The other three nodded, so I quickly dismissed the meeting and went back to the Corridors.

"Let's see… there's a history-themed bookstore around here…" I murmured, looking around. "Ah, there it is!" I quickly ran into the store and started browsing. "_The History of the Character-Swap…_" I picked that one up. Then, there was another one that caught my eye. I opened it and scanned the pages. Then I read something and my eyes widened. "This could be a temporary solution… it would help…" I bought the two books and ran into the Grey Area. Xemnas, Saïx, Dynilexs, Kylixant, and Xilef were there.

"Guys! I have good news!"

"You know how to get my sister/future-sister-in-law back here?" Dynilexs and Kylixant yelled at the same time.

I winced. "Unfortunately, no. But you see…" I opened a book. "I may have found-" I was interrupted by the materialization of a familiar author. "Hawk!"

"Hi Dest." Hawk said, stepping closer to me. "I came to see the guys from NF."

I put a hand on my hip, rolling my eyes. "You really cut to the chase, don't you?" I said.

"Yeah, so? Another reason I came... Could you guys leave?" Hawk said as he walked over towards a window and staring out of it briefly.

"Uh…" Xilef said, "Destiny was about-"

"Guys, this is probably important. Go on. What I was going to tell you can wait." After that, they started filing out. "And Dyni, please tell the five to come down here." The dark-haired girl nodded and exited.

I then turned to my fellow author "So, what's up with you?" I asked.

"We don't even know how this mess happened!" Hawk yelled, punching the window. Yikes. It was amazing he hadn't hurt himself.

"Deep breaths Hawk." I quickly interjected. Can't have him destroying my dimension. Especially after all the planning that went into it…

"We have no clue how the members swapped places. Characters can't normally travel between dimensions, just authors." Hawk explained. I nodded, seeing he needed to vent. I had had my breakdown already. It was his turn. "If we knew how it happened, we could possibly reverse it. But that's the problem! We don't know how!"

"Hawk. Just relax." I stepped closer to him. I'd only seen him this angry once. Well, and then after that it got worse and he pretty much scared the crap out of me. But this time wasn't so bad. And he was already cooling off.

"Sorry..." He apologized. I waved it off. "Ah, hello there you five." I followed his gaze to see the five entering.

"Have you come to get us?" Xirama asked hopefully. "I want to see my Axel!" Her Axel? But she had only just realized Xion's female…

"He's hardly yours, Xirama. He doesn't even know you like him." Leixym said, practically answering my unspoken q question.

So, can you get us back?" Xirama asked, ignoring the blonde.

I winced again. "Neither of us know yet. We'll try, but we can't promise anything." Augh. I hated being the bearer of bad news.

"Aww..." Korrax sighed. And the strawberry-haired male's reaction made my guilt worse. Wonderful

"We're thinking though." Hawk pointed out.

_"That's good to hear."_ Exenri 'said'.

"And, now I need to get back. Sorry, we'll do our best." Hawk said and vanished back to his own canon.

"Wait, Hawk! I need to tell you something!" He was gone. "Augh!" I quickly dematerialized and dashed towards the _Nobodies Forgotten _Canon. "Wait!"

* * *

><p><em>Destiny: Chapter Two is here!<em>

_All: Yay!_

_Destiny: So the companion of this story is called _Swapped!_ as well and is written by HawkRider. Check it out as well. Until we meet again, my dears!_

_All: Review!_


	3. Oopses and Reunions

I materialized in _Nobodies Forgotten_ the next day. What? I was exhausted, so I crashed at my sister's place before heading on to see Hawk. I walked into his bedroom… just as he was getting changed. I screamed and covered my eyes and blushing face with my hands and Hawk screamed too. And that brought the whole Organization up to his room.

Caixsa broke the awkward silence. "Is there something you needed to tell us?"

I looked up, but at the Organization, not the author who I had walked in on. "It was an accident!" I snapped. "And here!" I handed Hawk a piece of paper. "Bring everyone and meet me there after you're decent." And I dematerialized, still red-faced and embarrassed beyond belief.

I materialized back in the Round Room of my dimension, where the members were gathered and, oddly, not fighting. "Hello, everyone!" I called.

"Did you and that author guy make out?" I blinked at Xilef before shaking my head, annoyed.

"Good Lord, does anyone get that _I do not _like_ Hawk?_" I sighed and continued. "Anyways, everyone come with me! I've got something to show you all." And so, I led them all to the Grey Room and focused.

"Take me to where dimensions collide," I murmured, my hand out in front of me. "Where we may meet and see." And a collection of gasps sounded. I opened my eyes to reveal a large door. "C'mon." I led them inside.

Inside was a large, wide room, with a door on each end. It was all white, even the doors, and the walls had been polished until they gleamed. The whole Organization stood in one row with the five surrounding me in front of them. And finally, the door in front of us began to creak open. I quickly decided to use my omniscient power (how else would I know what my characters were thinking?) and listened to Krixae.

Krixae looked up at the door swinging open. The first thing she saw were bursts of colors. There was a lovely shade of olive green, one she hadn't seen before… wait, she had, but somewhere else… then, she noticed something else. The olive green wrapped around another color, a bright reddish-orange. Odd… then, she saw another aura that made her nonexistent heart almost break. It was a rich gold, the color of honey… it was… but, _Wait a moment…_

The blonde suddenly turned her head. Standing behind her was Roxas, standing next to Naminé, his girlfriend in this dimension. Around her was a light salmon pink. Around him was honey gold. But then… how?

Krixae blinked again, and gasped. Walking towards them was _him_. "Roxas!" She yelled. The blond on this side whipped his head to look at her, and so did the other one. _Her_ Roxas. "Roxas!" She started running, and her Roxas did the same.

I quickly pulled out of her thoughts. "Krixae! Wait!" She wasn't paying attention to me. Crap. "Krixae! Roxas!" And at that moment, it was like the two of them ran into a glass wall. They face planted, sliding down the 'glass'. But it wasn't glass. It was an invisible barrier. They picked themselves up and Krixae pressed her hand against the barrier, millimeters away from touching Roxas. She let out a pained cry and cried his name. He yelled hers, I think. I couldn't read his lips from here, and I couldn't hear noise over the barrier. Then, she turned to me.

"Well, this is only a temporary solution. See, there's that barrier. Characters can't go across it-" I stepped through. "-but authors can." Apparently, Roxas had been reading my lips or something and had repeated it to the whole group. Hawk came up to me.

"So, they can see each other, and communicate, but…"

"Yeah. We still can't get them back to their own dimension." I sighed. "If we could get that barrier down…" I then noticed the footsteps, and saw Xenri stepping up to the barrier, setting a hand on it and looking for her precious fiancé. "But this is better than nothing." I added. And so the two of us watched the characters.

Axel noticed her and ran up to the barrier, pressing his hand right across from hers. "Axel!" Xenri called, relief and joy in her voice.

"Xenri." Axel said. Like before, I couldn't hear on the other side of the barrier, but I could read his lips. "How's the baby?" He moved his other hand to where her stomach was. The pregnancy was showing just a little, making a light bump.

"The baby's still fine." Xenri answered. And so, the two began to talk.

Roxas and Krixae were still looking at each other broken-heartedly, but I noticed they were talking. "I miss you." Roxas murmured.

"I miss you too." Krixae replied.

Luxkls ran up to the barrier at lightning speed as Xilef got up towards it. "Xilef!" She cheered, and then put a hand against her hip. "Are you still doing your exercise?"

Xilef appeared to splutter. "Of course I am!"

I then saw Khanx and Kylixant staring at each other. _Kylixant, I've missed you._ Khanx signed.

_So have I._ Kylixant signed back.

_And I miss being able to sign and someone understanding._ He signed with a light smile on his face.

_No one there knows sign language?_

_No one._

"That reminds me." I said, turning towards Hawk. I obviously surprised him.

"What?" He asked.

"I need to teach you sign language. It's how Khanx usually speaks, so you must learn it." I said.

"No way."

"SIT DOWN!" I hissed in my "don't give me any funny business" tone, and he did.

"So, this is the letter a." I said, curling my fingers against my palm and letting my thumb rest against the side. Hawk copied it. "Good. Let's continue." I managed to teach him the alphabet while the members talked to each other. After the visit, it seemed everyone was revitalized, especially the five and those who cared about the five with Hawk. So, with that, I went back to my room and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Krixae walked down the halls towards Torexaltceh's room, which she was borrowing, when she saw a room with a light on. Curious, she stepped in to see pretty baby-blue walls and a soft gray-blue carpet. There was a white crib in the corner with a mobile that had Dancers, Assassins, Samurais, and another lesser Nobody she didn't know hanging over the crib. There was a white changing table on the other side of the wall, a small dresser, and plenty of baby toys scattered around.<p>

"What are you doing here?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Krixae saw a scarlet aura. She suppressed the urge to scream and run as she turned. "Axel." She said, her voice shaky. "Is this… what is this?"

"The nursery." Axel replied.

"For… yours?"

"Yes." Axel walked over to the crib and Krixae inched closer to the door. "Xenri, my fiancé, is five months pregnant. She's one of those who vanished." He clutched the crib tightly.

"Oh." Krixae said. "Oh, I saw her! She's the one with the olive aura!"

"What?"

"My power. I can see people's auras. All of them have a distinctive color. Yours is scarlet. Roxas's is honey gold. There was a girl with an olive green aura wrapped around a red-orange one. I guess that was the baby's." She looked closer at Axel to see his tie with the olive-girl. Yes, that was _very_ blended. They were definitely close.

"I just… how will the baby… will he/she be affected by all this, or not?" He sighed. "Man, nothing's easy, huh?"

"Nope." Krixae said, shaking her head. "Like how it is whenever I saw the other Roxas with the other Naminé…" She sighed. "But I digress. I just noticed this and wandered over. I'm gonna go to my room." And so she disappeared.

After she was gone, Axel chuckled lightly. "Sweet kid." He looked up at the mobile and touched one of the Knights. "Just get here safely, Junior. Got it memorized?"

* * *

><p><em>Destiny: Aww… so sweet. And fluffy.<em>

_Krixae: Like cotton candy!_

_Destiny: I suppose. Anyway, enjoy this half of _Swapped!_ and don't forget to review!_


	4. Remember

I sat in my room, pulling out a slim, wooden chest. I ran my hand over it quietly as I read the name: _Pandora Bocks._ I gently sighed and undid the latch and moved to open the case.

"Destiny!" I jumped and almost dropped it. After I was certain I had a good hold on it, I turned to glare at who had barged in. Axel and Krixae. Huh. Who would've thought they'd be together?

Krixae looked at me. "Destiny, look at this." She handed me an open book and pointed to a paragraph. I started to read it. _"The swapping of characters has a very delicate process. There must be a character on each side, and, with that, the two doing the swapping being on each end. Each character is swapped for another, and when they go back, the swapping must be done with the same pairs."_ I looked up at the two. "So, if we're going to get everybody back, we're going to have to figure out who was swapped with who. Wonderful."

"But, Destiny, this part is what stuck out." Axel said, pointing to the page. "_'And, with that, the two doing the swapping.'_ Someone chose to do this. But I don't know how in the name of Kingdom Hearts that happened."

I scratched my arm slightly, unsure myself. "I'd better go ask Hawk." I said, book marking the page, and setting it in a string bag, along with the case. "I'll be back." And I dematerialized.

I went to Hawk's Radiant Garden Plan room, expecting to see Hawk there, but it was empty. Great. So I then went to the _Nobodies Forgotten_ Canon, only half-materializing. As I passed by Luxkls and Clairex, I heard them talking. "Why won't they _just_ get us home?" Clairex complained.

"Maybe what Hawk's going to tell Destiny will get us home." Luxkls said.

Clairex snorted. "I doubt it." Oh. He's in my dimension. I ran back home and ran to the Hall of Empty Melodies, seeing a lone figure standing there.

"There you are!" I shouted. Hawk turned towards me. "I couldn't find you anywhere!"

He didn't directly reply to me. "Hello, Destiny."

"I thought you said you'd be in the Radiant Garden plan room today?" I asked, confused. "You were working on that challenge…"

"Yeah, I was going to be, but I thought of something. Bring everyone to That Room."

I easily guessed which room he was talking about. "Why?" He didn't reply, instead disappearing. I huffed. "Great manners, Hawk." I then ran to the Round Room, where the Organization was having a meeting. (Later I learned this was the only place Hawk didn't look when he was searching for everyone.) I went in, interrupting Xemnas mid-rant. Nothing would really be missed; he was probably whining about how he can't get Kingdom Hearts quite as fast without his good members (even though in this exchange, we got two extra Keybladers. Mansex didn't seem to care.)

"Everybody!" I shouted. "We're leaving. Get down here." They did, and I ushered them into the Room Where Dimensions Collide, which Hawk and I called it, and both halves rushed to the barrier to start talking to each other. Hawk came through the barrier pretty soon, walking to me.

"Get them to attack it. We'll try magic first, then weapons. Have you got a weapon?"

I smiled as I thought of the case in my string bag. "You'll see." I said, and added, "And this may just be crazy enough to work. I'll pass the message along."

I quickly told them what to do before taking the case out of my string bag and opening it. A smile began to grow on my face. I drew my sword, snapping the case closed and setting it back in my bag before I moved to admire it.

It had been ages since I had held it, but my hand fit easily around the roughly carved handle covered in leather as it had the first time I had held it. Its blade, made of pure, untainted light, glowed dimly.

I touched the light, and my mind was filled with pictures: A girl with black hair and blonde streaks handing me a sketch of the blade, all of my friends standing beside me as the biggest day of my life happened, first taking the light-sword, its twin nearby, a boy with brown hair and green-gray eyes, holding the dark-sword, the girl from before, lying limp on the ground, her neck twisted to the side, the boy's hand in mine as he led me home, the dark cell, my sister dying in my arms, the unbreakable bond between me and the boy, and, finally, my parents coming and taking me away.

I winced, closing my eyes, and turned to the barrier, nodding at Hawk. He dropped his arm, and we all attacked the barrier with everything I had. I held my breath, waiting for what would happen. _I was taken away from my friends; don't keep them away from theirs._ I begged silently, not sure to whom I was begging.

* * *

><p><em>Axel: Wow. Destiny has quite the past, huh?<br>__Destiny: Don't remind me.  
><em>_Krixae: Umm… I think she's in a bad mood. So, review and everything. I'm gonna be sick. *Runs off to nearest bathroom.*_


	5. Pain

Leixym and Demyx were the first to see if it worked. They reached their hands towards each other. And then they reached the barrier. It was unharmed. Several members screamed in frustration, and I noticed Hawk fall to the ground. I dashed over to him. "Hawk? Are you okay?"

Either he had no weapon, or he had already put his away. "It didn't work." He sighed. "We tried so hard, and it just didn't work."

"We can try something else, Hawk. No worries. Come on," I pulled him to his feet. Come with me to my office. But tell your guys to go."

After he sent the members of his Organization back, and I did the same with mine, I took him to my planning office. And that's when his eyes locked on my light-sword. "What's that?" He asked.

"My light-sword," I answered. "My friend made it for me."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But… she's… well, I haven't seen her in ages."

"How do you hold it? I mean, backhanded or what?"

"Backhanded. It's better for slashing, my personal tactic."

Hawk said nothing, so I pulled out the book Axel and Krixae had shown me. "Check this out." He read it, and I waited for him to be done. He looked up at me. "So, we have to figure out who was swapped for who?"

"Yep. And, Axel pointed out to me this. See? Someone did this. I don't know who, but someone did."

"_Two_ someones. At the least. See? Right here."

"Huh. Yeah." How did I miss that? I face palmed.

"But we're still no closer to how to get our members back than before."

"Well, let's try to figure this out somewhat. All the members appeared in one place, so, I don't know, but maybe you—"

"Xenri was in Texsh's room!" Hawk shouted, as if this explained everything.

I blinked, not sure if he had gone off the deep end. "Um, Texsh wasn't swapped." I pointed out.

"No, I mean, Korrax sleeps with Texsh!" My eyes widened. "No! I didn't mean it like that!" I then burst out laughing.

I smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. "Oh, Hawk… you just don't understand anything. C'mon. Let's get going."

"Where?"

"Your place? I wanna talk to Xenri." I explained.

"Oh. Of course. Let's go." We went to the _Nobodies Forgotten_ Canon, appearing in the Grey Area, facing the window. I turned to face the door. And shouted a curse.

Hawk heard it and turned to see what I was seeing. Three people, males, obviously, in Organization cloaks were standing there. And I recognized the shape of one of them. Because he had appeared just like that. In my mind.

As one, they removed their hoods to reveal three people I _never_ wanted to see again: Savtixan, Coerixan, and Xager.

"Hello, Love Birds."

I twitched. "We are_ not_ dating!" I screamed, suddenly glad that my sword was still in my hand.

"What are you three doing here? And you—" he pointed at Savtixan—"how did you _get_ here?"

"Destiny destroyed me; she cast me out of her dimension. Like you, we belong nowhere. We can go anywhere."

My eyes widened, and the grip on my light-sword tightened. "You… you swapped our characters? But why?"

Savtixan grinned. "Well," behind him, a window appeared, and lightning flashed (I still don't know how _that_ happened; it was empty space behind him), "it's part of our _evil_ plan!" Xager quickly silenced the red-haired Nobody. Yes, he was sadistic, evil, and cruel, but sometimes he was just a huge pain.

"Why did you _make_ him?" Hawk asked, a look of annoyance spreading across his face.

"Don't ask, don't tell." I replied, my face growing paler.

"This doesn't concern you." Coerixan hissed. "Just know that you two will die: right here and now!" And then, Savtixan charged, his black knife in hand. I blocked wit my light sword and swiped at him, just as Coerixan started to run. I jumped away from him; I still wasn't completely used to his fighting style, and he would likely cream me.

And that's when I noticed Xager. He was coming up behind Hawk, who was distracted by Coerixan. I still couldn't see his weapon, which annoyed me.

My feet were moving fast. "Hawk, look out!" And I shoved him out of the way and Xager grabbed me by the throat, slamming me into the wall. I gasped, and my light-sword fell out of my hand, clattering to the ground. He pulled back and slammed me into the wall again. I felt something sticky run down my neck and suddenly everything in my bladder released. I was _terrified_!

"Please, no." I gasped.

"Pretty little Destiny wants to follow her sister?" I gasped again. "Envy Greene, renowned psychologist and authoress. And died young. Ready to see big sister, Destiny?"

"No! No!" I struggled against his hand. Where was Hawk. I then did the only logical thing possible. I screamed my head off.

"Shut up, you banshee!" He said, slamming my head against the wall again. I didn't stop. The second time he did so, it registered that I was likely going to have a concussion. Then, I felt two more hands on my right arm as they twisted it all the way around, then someone snapped my left leg. I couldn't take it anymore. And I passed out, letting the blackness swallow me up. The last thing I heard was someone screaming my name as I went under.


	6. Back to the Light

When I finally came to, the first thing I realized was that I was alive. Second was the pain. It was much worse before, but it still hurt. My head throbbed, pounding against my skull. I moved to sit up, a flash of severe pain ran through my right arm. I bit my lip, and what would've been a shriek came out as a groan.

"Morning." I whipped my head around - a terrible idea, really - and saw Hawk. He was sitting nearby, and would've been staring at me if not for his blindfold. At least he wouldn't have been able to tell what sort of pain I was in.

I sat up and rubbed my arm, trying to soothe the pain. "Where... where am I?" The place looked familiar; I just couldn't place it.

"Cholanxis's room." Duh! That's why it seemed familiar. "He treated the things magic wouldn't work on." He paused and I looked down at my arm. Was that a splint of some sorts? It was made of semi-spongey fabric and was holding my lower arm mostly straight. Great. "And you might also want to thank Dynilexs."

I was halfway paying attention. "Why?"

"Um, she changed you..." I shifted slightly and winced. Wonderful. Xager knocked me into my period. (1) Could this get any worse? But then I saw Hawk and started laughing. "What?" Hawk asked.

"Your face." Heh. Boys _really_ didn't like talking about girls naked. Or at least sweet little boys like Hawk. And before you say anything, that was mockery.

He sighed. "Anyway, those three guys got away. Savtixan... he made them all disappear." Why _did_ I make him? I mean, really.

But then I thought of something else. "Hawk, can I ask you a question?" My inner muse-slash-grammar nazi started yelling, "May! May!" at me.

"Go ahead."

I silenced that muse. "Why didn't you draw your weapon?" I still haven't seen it.

"I don't know. I heard you fighting Savtixan, and I know Coerixn's fighting style enough to predict his attacks. For a second I felt like Ularxa." I pictured him as Ularxa. It didn't fit. "Without the extreme lack of patience for Timex." He peeled back his blindfold, revealing one cerulean eye as he glanced at his watch that I noticed, ironically, was a Timex.

He frowned slightly and before he set his blindfold all the way back, I noticed a dark circle underneath the eye. Along with his slumped and weary posture, I determined he was tired. "You look tired." I voiced my thoughts, thankful that my keen eye and knack for observing hadn't left me.

He yawned. "I am." He admitted.

"Now, you get back to your room and go to sleep!" I said. Partly, I was concerned for his health. Also, I just wanted to be alone. Xager's words still echoed in my head.

"Yes ma'am." And he left. I felt slightly guilty for not telling him the reason, why I had wanted to see Xenri, why I just wasn't in the best mood. I flicked my hand and a leather-bound diary appeared in it. I started to read it again and it wasn't soon before the tears began to fall.

"En..." I murmured, "why did you have to go?"


	7. A Mysterious Tape

I had relocated to the Grey Area when Hawk arrived. I looked up from my worn paperback _City of Bones_ as he came in, breathless.

"Destiny! Destiny!" He stopped in front of me. "Did you change clothes?"

I was now wearing a sky blue spaghetti strap top with delicate embroidery, and dark jeans studded with fake gems at the hems. "Yes, actually. I have. Xager knocked me into my period, so those clothes were bloody." His face was a cross between confusion and repulsion, so I continued. "If a girl is PMSing and she gets hit in the lower

stomach pretty hard, it can knock the start of her period out of her.

"So I'm over here, with so many cramps I feel like crap and having to put a tampon in with my non-dominant hand because my right hand is confined over here and I can't really use it all." I glanced at his face. "TMI?"

He probably hadn't been paying attention. "What?"

"TMI. A short phrase usually meaning 'too much information' or, now more common, 'The Mortal Instruments' which is, as you should know, a book series. But is that really why you came over here?"

"Uh...no! Do you have a VCR?" I nodded. "I need to show you this." I sighed and led him to my office and turned on the TV and VCR. He popped in the tape. "Check it out." I looked over and watched. It was the Grey Area. I couldn't tell whose. And then a Corridor opened up and out came Coerixan.

"Xager, is Savtixan ready?"

Xager appeared and nodded. "He says begin." And then Coerixan started chanting. I recognized some of it. Then Coerixan spoke again. "Tell Savtixan to prepare the first!" And then it cut out.

Hawk turned to me. "So, what do you think?"

My face was likely very pale. "_Kyrie Eleison_." I breathed.

"What?"

"'Lord, have mercy.'" I translated. "Latin. What Coerixan was speaking."

"You know Latin."

"It's mostly left me." I admitted. "But there was some power in those words."

Hawk sighed. "But we still don't know much about this."

Suddenly, realization smacked me in the face. "I know someone who does." Hawk glanced at me. "The book... one of my friends penned it. Maybe... she could help us."

It can't hurt to try. Where does she live?"

"My hometown with her sister. It's called Inspiration Point and it's about... thirteen and a half hours from here."

"Thirteen?" Hawk gasped.

"And a half," I corrected. "So. How do you feel about a road trip?"


	8. Spy Cars and ChitChat

I sat down on the "doorstep" of my Canon, waiting for Hawk. He was driving, at least first. I shifted my bag slightly on my shoulder, before lightly undoing my splint. My arm was still red and stiff and sore, but it was much better than before. But it'd take quite a bit for it to completely heal.

And then I heard the light purr of an engine and looked up to see a dark blue Honda Civic Hybrid, around the year 2006, it seemed. Not a bad make, but not like the car I had back at home, a '98 Cobra Mustang in bright red.

I opened the door. "Nice." My arm hit against the door, but because of both its healing and my high pain threshold, I barely noticed it. I put my light-sword in its case in the back seat, along with my bag, and buckled up.

"You navigate." Hawk said, handing me a map and starting the engine.

"Right…" I found where we were. "Got it."

"Let's go then." He pulled out into the road and I glanced up out the window, and then back at my map. And I realized what I had seen.

I tapped his shoulder. "What?"

"Hawk, Americans drive on the right." And he swerved out of the way of an olive sedan and into the right lane. Ugh. Olive. What an awful color for a car.

* * *

><p>After a bit, I turned on the radio.<p>

"_And I was like baby, baby, baby ohhh…_

_Like ba—"_

I quickly turned it back off. Honestly, who still listened to that garbage? I looked up and noticed we were on the highway. I glanced back at the map, looking at our navigation route.

"So what's Inspiration Point like, anyway?" Hawk asked.

I started slightly, not expecting his voice. "It's… pretty. Very inspirational." A town chock-full of artists and authors, a true paradise to me. But I just wasn't sure how to put it into words. And then I thought of something. "Come to think of it… Hawk, do you have a license?"

He shook his head. "I've passed the theory part of the test, but… not the practical…"

"Wait," I said, suddenly feeling very nervous, "so you failed that test."

"Not old enough to take it. I do know how to drive, though." I slightly relaxed. "We just have to hope that we don't get pulled over."

I nodded, still looking at the map. "Hey, do you need a break?"

"Why?"

"There's a service station coming up." I pointed right, and Hawk turned that way.

* * *

><p>As soon as I stepped out, I was suffocated by people. I don't know why.<p>

"Can you get that bag for me?" Hawk asked.

"You're really going to wear that?"

"Yes. And…" I shook my head and handed it to him. "Boys." I muttered, and headed inside. We stopped at the café and got stuff to eat. I got a blueberry muffin and chocolate milk. And the two of us sat down and talked. We grabbed a few more snacks (plus some sour icebreakers to keep my sweet tooth in check) and we went back to the car.

* * *

><p>"Who does this car belong to?" I asked after about a total of eight hours of driving.<p>

"Technically me. I made it. However, it's soon to pass on to one of my characters, just as soon as I make him-slash-her. I have an idea for the sort of story it's gonna be in."

He had piqued my interest. "What kind?"

Instead of answering me, Hawk glanced in the rear-view mirror. His calm expression had vanished. "Dest, can you tap the rear-view mirror for me? You're about to find out what kind of car this is." I frowned, slightly uncertain, but did as he asked. "High four two one, base." He said.

"Hello what do you need today?" A voice came from the speakers. It was female, but also distinctly mechanical. I jumped when I heard it.

"Scan the olive sedan directly behind us." Hawk said.

"Of course. Have a nice day."

Realization dawned on me. "Wait, so this is…"

"A spy car, yes. Wait until you see some of the other features."

"Who do you think you are?" I teased. "James Bond?"

"Not one bit." He said.

The voice spoke again. "Scan complete. Three hostile Nobodies."

"I also put in some data overnight preparing it for the trip." Hawk explained.

"Identification confirmed. Names: Xager, Savtixan, Coerixan."

I groaned. "Them?"

"Seems like it. They've been following us since I picked you up." I looked in the mirror at the car. And recognized it. "Estimated chance of losing the car at our current speed?"

"Chance of losing them, one to two million, five hundred and seventy-nine thousand, four hundred and ninety seven."

I gulped. "Not good."

"Correction. One to five hundred twenty-one. Go to third lane from right."

"Why?" I asked.

"Toll booth."

Hawk seemed to understand. "Destiny. Glove compartment."

I was stressing, so I cracked a joke. "Now's not really the time for getting a better grip." I chuckled half-heartedly.

"JUST OPEN IT!" I jumped, quickly looking his way. He had his jaw set, and wasn't looking at me. My heart was pounding. Had he really yelled at me? "There should be a small button on the left." I opened it and reached in. I found the button and pressed it, and the radio flipped around, revealing a block of ten buttons. "Green." I pushed it, and there was a light hum that soon faded.

"What did that do?" I hoped he hadn't heard the shakiness in my voice.

"Activated something I completely forgot about." He turned to me, and when I saw his expression, I relaxed. It was just a moment of stress. "We now have free access to the toll road."

"How?"

"Small chip. It sends out a signal that shows this car as a government vehicle. I'm glad I made this car, but why did I have to make it do so much?" He dropped into a moan at the end, and I suppressed my giggles.

"What else does it do?"

"Umm, each button does something different. For example, there's an ejector seat, red. Black is a camouflage button. The car stays the same, but there are five different colors: dark blue, red, black, light blue, and white." He paused. "I was tempted to put in hot pink as a joke."

I laughed, a full-on laugh, but thankfully without the hiccups. "So, it _is_ a James Bond car."

"How many of his cars had a device that stopped pursuit with sound?"


	9. A Town of Inspiration

After we lost the sedan (which took about fifteen minutes) we pulled in at a gas station to fill up and get snacks. I personally got a few bottles of Mountain Dew Voltage. When we were walking back, I turned to Hawk.

"How 'bout I drive?"

He seemed startled. "You have your license?"

"Well, duh. I'm sixteen." I pulled out my wallet and flashed it. "What sixteen-year-old doesn't have a license? Besides you, of course."

He shot me a slight glare. I giggled lightly and went to the driver's side, climbing in. Hawk got into the passenger seat. "Is this safe?"

"Oh, come on. I rode with you and you don't have a license! Trust me." We locked eyes briefly, and he leaned back in his seat, quickly adjusting his blindfold. "On we go." I murmured and started the engine.

I smiled when I felt the purr, and pressed the gas. And we were off.

* * *

><p>It was about an hour before anything really happened. Hawk had fallen asleep, and we were on a boring stretch of road. I sighed. Why couldn't anything exciting go on while <em>I<em> was driving? I glanced in the mirror and saw the olive sedan. "Be careful what you wish for, Destiny." I poked my sleeping companion. "Hawk? Hawk?" He rolled over and muttered something about foreign cheese. _Looks like I'll handle this by myself._

Oh well. It was time to bring out my own surprises. I grabbed my string bag and opened it, pulling out a small, clear cylinder. I twisted it, opened the window, and threw it back. Soon, the contents began to spill out, and it stuck to the sedan's windshield before exploding.

The sound woke Hawk. "Colonel Mustard in the Dining Room with a Swiss-cheese knife!" I stared at him briefly, giving him one of my Looks. He calmed down and glanced at me. "What was that?"

"Just one of these. My friend made them for me." I pulled out another and handed it to him. "The contents are like goo. It sticks to whatever you throw it at, and then explodes. You start the timer by twisting it. Don't do it right now, though."

"What were you throwing at?"

"Look behind you." He did.

"Do you have anything else in there?"

"Um…" I tossed him my bag. "You dig around. Don't press any buttons." Eventually, I heard beeping. "What did you press?"

"It was an accident! It looked like a handhold!" Wait. Was that? I glanced over and grinned. "Throw it at them." After a few seconds, there was nothing but smoke behind us.

"A smoke bomb?"

"A _giant_ smoke bomb. And yeah. The 'handhold' is how you set it off."

"Did you friend make that too?" I nodded. "He sounds talented."

"_She._ And indeed she is." I wasn't able to keep the smile off my face. "And you can see the town now." He was silent as he studied. Maybe he didn't see the beauty I did, but it didn't matter. I was home.

* * *

><p>Inspiration Point was a moderately-sized town. It was peaceful, without any sort of mind-numbing traffic or screeching, or even sirens wailing. As soon as we drove in, I saw the artwork. On all the old buildings and alleyways was graffiti. But it wasn't necessarily graffiti. Instead of marking gangs' territories or whatever, it was just art. Beautiful art. Honestly, when you're in a town full of artists and writers, what else would you expect?<p>

Old buildings, typically abandoned, were covered floor to roof in art. Amazing landscape designs made the nature of the town a masterpiece. And all the bookstores and libraries… it was paradise for a bookworm like me. I turned to look at Hawk.

"What do you think?"

"…This is where you grew up?"

"Yep."

"Wow."

Eventually, we arrived at a small house, dark green and wooden. I parked the car and got out. "We're here."

"This is your friend's house?"

"Uh-huh."

"Should we go in?"

I nodded and walked up to the door, ringing the doorbell. Eventually, a woman in her mid-twenties answered.

"Destiny?" She had long, glossy raven hair and ocean blue eyes and a kind face.

"This is your friend?" The woman turned to him, as did I.

"No, Hawk. This is her older sister, Gaia. Gaia, this is Hawk. My friend."

"Pleasure to meet you." Gaia said in her soft voice. "And as for you, what are you doing here? It's been over a year since—"

"Yes, I know. We need to see Pandora. Is she out back?"

"As always. Come on through."

We walked through the house briefly. Hawk seemed to glance around at the quaint home. And then we went out to the backyard. Out there was a makeshift workshop. And bent over a small table was a girl.

She was my age, with slightly darker skin than mine, and her raven hair, similar to Gaia's, held out of her face by an oil-stained white bandana. I walked up to her and tapped her shoulder. She jumped and turned. And then pushed the dark goggles over her eyes onto her head.

"Destiny?" She had a slight accent, and her eyes were bright blue. She had black work gloves on her hands, and was a bit messy.

"Pandora. It's so great to see you."

"What are you doing here? You don't come thirteen and a half hours just to chat. Did you break your sword?"

"No. No, not at all. But you can check it again if you'd like."

I pulled out its case and she pulled her goggles backed down and she took my sword. "Hm. There's a crack over here. It wasn't there before."

I thought of Savtixan. "Yeah. Can you patch that?"

"It's simple enough." She set my light-sword back on the table, and turned back. "Who's your friend?"

"Pandora, this is Hawk, one of my author friends. Hawk, this is Pandora, an artist, and weapon-maker." Hawk shook her hand, and Pandora glanced over his shoulder.

"That's quite the sword you have."

"You can see it?"

She tapped her goggles. "These let us see through enchantments that would otherwise obscure the weapon, such as the invisibility spell on yours, and the light on Destiny's. Can I see it?" Hawk reached behind him and pulled out a sword. I jumped at its appearance. Pandora looked like a kid in the candy store. "Amazing!" She looked over it—Hawk seemed a bit uneasy—and handed it back. "Whoever made it is a master!"

Before Pandora could freak out anymore, I jumped in. "Pandora, we came to talk to you about the book you wrote."

"The one about swapping?" I nodded. "Technically, I just organized it. It's all your sister's notes." Pandora had picked up my sword and was working on it.

"Sister?" Hawk and I asked, though I was confused that she had researched it, and Hawk's was likely because he didn't know I _had_ a sister.

"Envy Greene. You know, world-famous psychologist and author, had a few billion dollars stored up and left her entire estate to you when she died?"

I felt Hawk's eyes on me. "Yes. I know. I just didn't know she had written anything about the subject."

"You read it, didn't you? It was in the first paragraph."

"Pandora. Our characters got swapped."

"And…"

"And we didn't do it, so we need to get them back. Do you know anything?"

Pandora wiped my sword clean and returned it to its case. "The pair that's swapped has to have something important that's alike."

"So something about the two is similar?" Hawk asked. Pandora nodded.

I was about to say more, when I noticed a dark shadow forming behind Pandora. But she already had one. "Pandora! Behind you!" She turned and ducked as the three nightmares appeared.

"Great. These guys again." Hawk groaned.

"Hello." Coerixan said.

"Didja miss us?" Savtixan asked.

I was about to respond, when a giant beam of light hit them. "Get out of here." Pandora was holding a bazooka cannon. "Right now!" She shot again, but they vanished.

"That was easy." Hawk said.

"Light Bazooka. The first one I got to work." Pandora hefted it onto her shoulder. "It worked nicely."

"Shoot! They're probably gonna get to our characters next!" I hissed. "We gotta go back. Thanks for everything, Pandora."

"Do you want to use the portal to the Corridors?"

"Portal?"

"Yeah. Under my staircase. It's been there since… forever." Hawk glared at me. "But it's one-way." Pandora continued.

"I think we should." I said. "C'mon, Hawk. We gotta hurry!"

"Dest!" I turned. "Will you ever come to stay?"

"Maybe." I murmured, and grabbed Hawk's hand. "Let's go!" And we ran into the house, to the closet under the stairs, and through the portal back to the Corridors.


	10. More Swapping

The door under Pandora's stairs led fairly close to the _Double It!_ Dimension. As we headed back to my dimension, Hawk muttered something. "What was that?"

"Nothing." We entered my room, and I flopped onto the bed. "So what should we do now?"

"We should try to figure out who was swapped for who." Hawk deadpanned.

I wasn't amused, but shrugged it off. "Well, we already know about Xenri and Korrax. Their link would have to be that they both have someone they love-slash-sleep with." Hawk blushed. I'm blunt normally, and I was still crabby about my period coming early, okay?

"I think another is obvious," Hawk said. "Exenri and Khanx."

"Of course, both mute." I thought of something. "Hang on a second." I dug around my backpack and found a notepad. "Right, so Krixae, Xirama, Leixym, Exenri and Korrax from Nobodies Forgotten, and Xenri, Luxkls, Khanx, Clairex and Torexaltceh from here..." I drew two lines marking the pairs we'd figured out.

"So that just leaves three pairs…" Hawk muttered, thinking. "I don't suppose you have another friend who is an expert on dissecting character personalities and histories?"

"Unfortunately, no." I sat up a bit. "Do _you_ know anyone?"

"We need to check on our characters!"

"It'll take them ages to get back here," I said.

"Never underestimate a villain. Let's check anyway." He dematerialized. I called a meeting, and headed to the Round Room.

Everyone was there except the usual empty five spots. The _Nobodies Forgotten_ characters were on the floor next to me. But then I looked again. Two thrones were empty. The two rivals. Aryx and Xemichal. "Oh, no…"

"What's wrong?" Krixae asked.

"Aryx and Xemichal have gone to Hawk's dimension…" I groaned. "God have mercy on his soul."

"See, I told you to turn right. The Round Room's over here!" A voice said.

"But I swear I have the way to the Round Room memorized. It's like we're in a different Castle." Another voice said.

Krixae looked past me. "Cai?"

I looked behind me to see two more members. One was blond, the other had his hood up. "Caixsa and Xasech?" I asked.

"Who are _you_?" Xasech asked.

"Wait! You're… Destiny! The girl from _Double It!_" Caixsa gasped. "So that means… we're in _your _dimension?"

"It would seem so."

"Caixsa!" Krixae ran into his arms.

"So not only are we not any closer, we've taken a step _backwards_?" It was Axel now, obviously not amused.

"We're trying!" I snapped at the redhead. "Be patient! Do you think _I'm_ any happier about this?"

Axel glared at me a little longer before turning away.

"Destiny, I _did_ think of _something_ good," Xion said.

"Really? What?"

"Xemichal and Clairex are in the same dimension now… so you don't have to worry as much."

"I already am worried. Do you know how adult their relationship is and how much I have to censor?" Silence. I groaned. "Meeting over. I'm going over to check on the others. Goodbye." And I dematerialized to Hawk's dimension.


	11. Checking Up

"Destiny!" Hawk ran up to me as soon as I showed up. "Caixsa and Xasech—"

"—Have been swapped for Aryx and Xemichal. I _know_, and God have mercy on your soul."

"What do you mean?"

I sighed. "Nothing you need to worry about yet. But… where _is_ Xemichal."

"In his makeshift room."

"I need to talk to him." So Hawk and I went to where Xemichal was staying. And when I opened the door… he was making out with Clairex on the bed. And I mean _seriously_ making out. Like, probably on the way to sex making out. Xemichal had his shirt off, and—as far as I could tell—Clairex was topless as well.

Hawk was stunned silent, face redder than a tomato, so I took charge. "Xemichal! Clairex!" The two jumped, and Xemichal turned and Clairex pulled the bed sheet up to cover her chest. "Come _on_. Can you spend _some_ time not making out or having sex?"

Xemichal walked up to me, glaring down at me. Compared to my stature at five-foot-one, he was a giant, probably around six feet tall. "What do you want?"

I glared back at him. "I came to see how you all were doing."

"We're just fine. Now go away," he hissed.

I stood up on tip-toe to seem more formidable. "Do you want me to add another scar to your collection?" Along with the one on his face, Xemichal had quite the collection of scars all over his torso. He gave me one last glare, and backed off. "I didn't think so." I turned to Hawk. "Come on, let's go. Aryx is next."

We exited the room, closing the door, and Hawk finally spoke. "What. The. Hell?" He gasped.

"I have to censor most of their activity. They are _quite_ the hormonal teenagers."

Hawk was silent again, still blushing. We came to Aryx's room. "Is there anything I should know about _him_?" He asked.

"No. Not really." I heard the sound of a drill. "Sounds like he's fixing up his machines. Come on."

We entered, and Aryx looked up from his gear. "Dest!" He got up and dashed over to me. "It's good to see you here! How's Xion? Is she doing okay? She's not crying or worried sick, right?"

"Don't worry, Aryx," I reassured him. "Xion's a strong girl. She's _perfectly_ fine."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I was just worried about her."

"I came over to check up on you guys. How are you?"

"Pretty good. Mostly working on my gear." He lowered his voice slightly. "The sound overpowers all of the noise Xemichal and Clairex make."

"Remind me after all this is over to make the walls soundproof."

"Can do. That'll be nice. I mean, it's not like I don't like them—oh, wait. I don't—but I can't stand listening to their 'activities'."

"I can't blame you. Take care, Aryx."

"Bye, Destiny."

We left that room. "I see why Xion chose him instead of Xemichal."

"Yeah. I can't blame her either."

"Are Xemichal and Clairex… _usually_ like that?" Hawk asked.

"No," I said. Hawk breathed a sigh of relief. "Normally they engage in BDSM. I guess they don't have their toys, so they're going vanilla."

"Why are they like that?"

"Search me."

"No, I mean, why did you make them like that?"

I stopped walking, silent. For once, Hawk had stunned me. "It doesn't matter. Come on, we need to go see Xenri."

"She's been here a while. I thought you were checking on the newly swapped."

"Xenri's a special case. Today was supposed to be her exam."

"Exam?"

"Her monthly check-up. For the baby. She's six months in, now."

We got to Xenri's room. I went inside. She was just sitting on the bed, rubbing her tummy. It was somewhat large. The baby was finally growing fast.

She looked up as I entered. "He took a while growing last month. He's finally getting big," she said.

I smiled and rubbed her belly. "Hey, little guy. Won't be long until you get to see the world, huh?"  
>"You'll get us home before then, right? Axel will want to see his son being born."<p>

"It's a boy?" Hawk asked.

Xenri shook her head. "We've haven't seen yet. We haven't had the equipment. But I have a feeling…"

"You asked Ula, didn't you?"

She blushed. "She's not sure either. But she thinks he's a boy."

"Well, you're lucky. Today you'll know for sure," I said. I brought out the ultrasound. "See?"

Xenri sat up. "Cool!" She rubbed her tummy again. "Alright, little one. We're gonna get to see you for the first time!" She sighed. "I wish Axel were here to see."

She really missed her fiancé. "Don't worry. I'll take a picture and show him."

She smiled. "So… how does this work?"

Just lie back, stay still, and we'll have a picture of your baby." So I did all the work. The ultrasound machine started scanning and scanning… taking a picture of Xenri's unborn baby… and finally it showed up. It printed out the picture, and I showed Xenri. "Congratulations. You were right." In the picture was a baby boy.

Xenri was smiling. "Kaen," she breathed. "That's his name. That's what we decided. If he was a boy, he'd be Kaen. And he is."

She sat up. "Go tell Axel for me. Please."

"Don't worry. I'm on my way." I looked at Hawk. "I'll talk to you later." And I dematerialized and went back to my dimension.

It wasn't too difficult to find Axel. He was sitting in the nursery he and Xenri had made for their baby, their son… "I went to see your fiancée." Axel turned, surprised at my sudden appearance. "And… well… here." I handed him the picture.

Axel's eyes widened. He looked at the picture. Then me. Then back at the picture. "A son. He's a boy. I'm going to have a son!" I smiled to myself. If nothing else was going right, at least some things were turning out okay.


End file.
